The dancers of Suzhou Ballet are rehearsing for the global premiere of Carmen scheduled on September 13 at Suzhou Culture & Arts Center during Jinji Lake Arts Festival 2014. This is also the first time to Chinese artists to enact the tragic love story on ballet stage.

The four-act opera Carmen by the French composer Georges Bizet tells the love story of Gypsy girl Carmen and a soldier Don Jose. The modern ballet show retells the love tragedy with the music of Bizet.

"This is the first in the history of ballet in China and this is our chance," said Li Ying, art director of Suzhou Ballet. "We introduce many modern elements and performing arts so that the story is more touching and characters more convincing."